Bishopric of Meissen
The Bishopric of Meissen was a Roman Catholic diocese based in Meissen in central Saxony, Germany. It existed from 968 until 1581), although the last bishop converted to Lutheranism in 1559. The early Bishopric (968 - 1365) The Bishopric of Meissen was created around 968 after the recommendations of the Synod of Ravenna in 967. The exact date of the founding of the diocese is not known, hoever the earliest non-forged document in 971 records endowment of the diocese from the German king. The bishopric was founded with little money and despite the generosity if Emperors Otto III and Henry I, the bishopric was always starved of funding. The main task of the diocese was to convert the Wends to Christianity but the evangelisation was slow. When the Investiture Controversy broke out in the 11th Century, the dispute threatened the existence of the diocese. Bishop Benno of Woldenberg (later canonised) was a supporter of the German kings. However in 1076 he was imprisoned by King Henry III in the aftermath of the revolt of the Saxon princes despite taking no part in it. Benno escaped nine months later, joined the Saxon princes and espoused the Papal cause. In 1085 he took part of the Papist Synod of Quedlinburg. The following year he made peace with the King and spent the rest of his life on missionary work. It was only by the 13th Century that the Wends were converted, mainly through the efforts of the Cistercian monasteries. From the end of the 13th Century, the Bishops held the title "Prince of the Empire". Despite having obtained several lands the Margraves of Meissen, to whom the bishops were friendly with, never gave the bishops immediate territories. The later Bishopric (1365 - 1581) In 1365 the Bishoprics of Meissen, Bamberg and Regensburg were placed by Pope Urban V under the jurisdiction of the new Archbishopric of Prague. However the protests of the Archbishopric of Magdeburg, of which Meissen was suffragan since the diocese's founding, prevented the Bishopric from benefiting from the privileges it allowed and Meissen remained sufragan to Magdeburg. In 1399 Pope Boniface IX ended the dispute by placing Meissen directly under the Papal See. Bishop Thimo of Kolditz (1399 - 1410) neglected the diocese and financially ruined it. His successor Rudolph of the Planitz (1411 - 1427) managed to repair the damage. The diocese suffered greatly during the Hussite Wars, although by the death in 1476 of Bishop Theodoric IV of Schönberg the diocese had recovered fully and had 8,800 guldens in treasury. His successor John V of Weissenbach (1476 - 1487) quickly squandered the treasury and by his death left the diocese in considerable debt. John VI of Saalhausen further impoverished the diocese by attempting to gain full immediacy of the bishopric, which brought him into constant conflict with Duke George of Saxony. Bishop John VII of Schleinitz (1518 - 1537) was a steadfast opponent of Martin Luther and worked with Duke George in his attempts to crush the Reformation. After the death of Duke George in 1539, however, the Reformation quickly spread throughout the diocese, even into the Cathedral. In 1559 Bishop John IX of Haugwitz formally converted to Protestantism, retired from the diocese and married. The Saxon Electors obtained the diocesan lands. In 1581 the bishopric was suppressed. In 1666 the diocese was formally annexed to the Electorate. See also *List of Bishops of Meissen Category:Diocese of Meissen